Much like fellow expedition member Karma Paul, Gyalzen Kazi held a
position of little glamour on the 1924 Third British Expedition to Everest and
yet his job as Sirdar was of great importance to the expedition.

Gyalzen, who was from the city of Gangtok (the capitol of the Indian state
of Sikkim), was the interpreter for the 1921 British reconnaissance expedition
and worked as both interpreter and sirdar on the 1922 expedition.

A Sirdar is the Chief Climbing Sherpa and has perhaps the highest position
amongst the Sherpa of the expedition. As a Kazi (which is a title or
designation rather than a last name) Gyalzen was a landowner and a man of some
status.